Difference in DO MD salaries

[mikemsu]

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Do you all know if there is a difference in salaries for each degree assuming that they were doing the same job? Obviously DO's have a lower average salary because of the higher incidence of primary care, but I was wondering if they are reimbursed the same as MD's by the Managed Care Programs.

 

[Ranger Bob]

My understanding is that reimbursement by insurers, and hence physician salaries, is driven largely by the government medicare and medicaid reimbursement rates. Although, to my knowledge, private insurers are not legally bound by the government rates, their rates tend to be closely correlated with them. And there is no distinction between DO's and MD's with respect to medicare/medicaid resimbursement. So I'd assume that the salaries of MD's and DO's are similar for a given specialty.

 

[e2k]

Legally in the U.S. both DOs and MDs have the same rights and priviledges, and presumably the same salary. A D.O. surgeon will make as much as an M.D. surgeon.

However, many DOs do family practice, which tends to pay less than other specialities.
ERIC